(US, historical) A loophole in early-1900s American immigration law that allowed Chinese people to enter the country if they managed a Chinese restaurant, resulting in a greater-than-average increase
(US, historical) A loophole in early-1900s American immigration law that allowed Chinese people to enter the country if they managed a Chinese restaurant, resulting in a greater-than-average increase of those establishments over several decades.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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(US, slang) Someone who frequents saloons or other nightlife, originally specifically in Chicago's Loop district.
(North America, informal) A restaurant, shop or other establishment catering to customers that is particularly inconspicuous and easily overlooked.
(US, slang, dated) A made-up story; a con.
(UK, _, dialectal) The wicket or hatch of a door.
Chowmeinery is a dated, informal American term for a Chinese restaurant, coined in the early twentieth century when chow mein was one of the most familiar Chinese-American dishes in the United States. The word has a fond, slightly comedic quality, evoking a simpler time when the chow mein was the whole menu. Today it reads as anachronistic, but food writers and historians occasionally dust it off when discussing the history of Chinese-American cuisine.